Worldwide, prostate cancer is considered to be one of the three most commonly occurring cancers amongst the male population. Clinically, early detection of diverse forms of cancer before they spread and become incurable plays an important role in treatment strategy. Therefore, the development of fast, accurate, sensitive, and low-cost analytical methodologies and techniques for the detection of cancer biomarkers is an attractive research area for scientists globally. Herein, a Schiff base ligand (A1) was prepared via the refluxing of 3-aminobenzoic acid with 1,2-phenylenediamine. After that, a nano Cu complex (N1) was synthesized by reacting A1 with copper chloride. The produced A1 and N1 were characterized using several techniques to determine their physicochemical properties. A density functional theory study was carried out to rationalize the experimental work and support the obtained results. Moreover, the nano Cu complex (N1) was used for the fabrication of a potentiometric membrane biosensor for the early detection of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The results reveal that the electrode displays a stable Nernstian response of 29.26 ± 0.87 mV per decade for PSA in a linear dynamic range of 5.0 pg mL-1-10.0 ng mL-1, in a pH range of 6.5-9.2, with a short response time of 25 ± 5 s. The lifetime was between 5-7 weeks under different storage conditions. The detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) limits were 0.098 and 0.297 pg mL-1, respectively. The presence of different interfering species on the potentiometric biosensor response against PSA was investigated. The sensing mechanism of N1 toward PSA and the applicability of the developed electrode for the screening and quantification of PSA in real serum samples were also studied.Correction for 'Recent development of two-dimensional metal-organic framework derived electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen electrocatalysis' by Hengbo Wu et al., Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 18497-18522 DOI 10.1039/D0NR04458J.One-atom-thick rare-earth/noble metal (RE-NM) compounds are attractive materials to investigate two-dimensional magnetism, since they are easy to synthesize into a common RE-NM2 structure with high crystal perfection. Here we perform a comparative study of the GdAu2, HoAu2, and YbAu2 monolayer compounds grown on Au(111). We find the same atomic lattice quality and moiré superlattice periodicity in the three cases, but different electronic properties and magnetism. The YbAu2 monolayer reveals the characteristic electronic signatures of a mixed-valence configuration in the Yb atom. In contrast, GdAu2 and HoAu2 show the trivalent character of the rare-earth and ferromagnetic transitions below 22 K. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/sovleplenib-hmpl-523.html Yet, the GdAu2 monolayer has an in-plane magnetic easy-axis, versus the out-of-plane one in HoAu2. The electronic bands of the two trivalent compounds are very similar, while the divalent YbAu2 monolayer exhibits different band features. In the latter, a strong 4f-5d hybridization is manifested in neatly resolved avoided crossings near the Fermi level. First principles theory points to a residual presence of empty 4f states, explaining the fluctuating valence of Yb in the YbAu2 monolayer.The chemical and electromagnetic (EM) enhancements both contribute to surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). It is well-known that the EM enhancement is induced by the intense local field of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). This report shows that the polarizability of the molecules adsorbed on the metal surface can lead to another channel for the EM field enhancement. When aromatic molecules are covalently bonded to the Au surface, they strongly interact with the plasmon, leading to a modification of the absorption spectrum and a strong SERS signal. The effect is seen in both 3 nm-Au nanoparticles with a weak SPR and 15 nm-Au nanoparticles with a strong SPR, suggesting that the coupling is through both EM field and chemical means. Linear-chain molecules on the 3 nm-Au nanoparticles do not have a SERS signal. However, when the aromatic and linear molecules are co-adsorbed, the strong SPR/molecular polarizability interaction spatially extends the local EM field, leading to a strong SERS signal from the linear-chain molecules. The results show that aromatic molecules immobilized on Au can create "hot spots" just like plasmonic nanostructures.Halodifluoromethyl and trifluoromethyl-containing compounds are widely employed in organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals and materials science. Therefore, their applications and transformations have received significant attention during the past few decades. The single, double, triple and quadruple cleavage of halodifluoromethyl compounds and various deconstructive modes of trifluoromethyl-containing compounds could generate a variety of synthons to prepare more valuable products. Herein, we summarize the most significant achievements in this field with an intriguing focus on results from the last decade.Photocatalytic H2 evolution is a clean technology to alleviate energy and environmental issues. The limited light absorption and the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers are the major hurdles constraining the application of numerous photocatalysts. Herein, we report a simple and effective strategy, a multistep heat-treatment method, to synthesise a defective g-C3N4/RGO/TiO2 composite to increase its rate of activity for H2 production. The defects, nitrogen and oxygen vacancies, are simultaneously introduced on the surface of the g-C3N4/RGO/TiO2 composite. The vacancy defects essentially endow g-C3N4/RGO/TiO2 with a boosted photocatalytic H2 evolution rate (4760 μmol h-1 g-1) under visible-light irradiation, which is higher than that of the most of g-C3N4/TiO2 composites. This is attributed to the improved visible-light absorption as well as the separation and transfer rate of photogenerated charge carriers arising from vacancy defects. This study may provide an avenue for preparing defective photocatalysts for efficient H2 evolution.We demonstrate that a metal-dielectric heterodimer structure can satisfy a nearly ideal first Kerker condition at a wavelength close to the resonance peak of the dimer, yielding efficient unidirectional forward scattering with a high forward-to-backward scattering ratio (?48 dB) and remarkable enhancement of the forward scattering intensity (?2.68 times compared to a single dielectric nanoparticle). Using a rigorous analytical dipole-dipole interaction model, the underlying mechanism is revealed, in which the originally weak electric dipole moment of the dimer is significantly enhanced owing to the strong resonant interference between the localized surface plasmon resonance of the metal and the Mie resonances of the dielectric material, which could up-match the magnetic dipole moment of the dimer at a wavelength close to the resonance peak, boosting the forward scattering efficiency. To achieve the optimal conditions, the sizes of the metal and dielectric constituents as well as the gap distance of the dimer have to be physically and delicately tuned to ensure a perfect match in both the amplitudes and phases of the electric and magnetic dipole moments of the dimer.